Kolkata, Sep 20 (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that the state would sever all ties with Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) for “unilaterally releasing water” which led to floods in south Bengal districts.
In a four-page letter to Modi, she claimed that five million people in Bengal have been affected by the floods and requested him to immediately sanction and release central funds to address the widespread devastation caused by the deluge.
“I would like to draw your kind attention to the fact that as a result of an unprecedented, unplanned, and unilateral release of an enormously huge volume of water at nearly five lakh cusec from the combined system of Maithon and Panchet dams owned and maintained by the DVC, all districts of South Bengal have been plunged into devastating floods causing severe-miseries to the common people,” Banerjee wrote.
“If this unilateral approach continues, bringing hardship to the people of my state, we will be left with no option but to disengage entirely from DVC and withdraw our participation. We cannot allow this ongoing injustice to affect our people year after year,” she warned.
The flood-hit South Bengal districts are Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Birbhum, Bankura, Howrah, Hooghly, Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur, she claimed.
“The state is now facing the biggest flood in Lower Damodar and adjoining areas after 2009. More than 1,000 sqkm stands affected and nearly five million people of the state have been drawn into the vortex of miseries for loss of crops, damages to public infrastructure and private assets, including houses, cattle…I am compelled to call it a man-made flood,” she wrote.
The Bengal CM said information about the critical condition of downstream rivers, already flowing close to or above the extreme danger level, was provided to the DVC authorities by officials of the state government along with the request to defer the release of water that is made from time to time, Banerjee said.
“I also spoke with the DVC chairman over the phone on September 16 night,” she said.
“Combined water release was increased in quick successions on September 17 from 90,000 cusecs to abruptly 2,50,000 cusecs within 9 hours which continued for long hours,” she added.
The total discharge during the short period of three days is equivalent to 8.31 lakh acre-feet up to the last available report on date, she claimed.
Banerjee also stressed the “need for dredging and desilting the DVC reservoirs to restore their floodwater holding capacity”.
“The need for dredging has been highlighted to you and in other forums, including the Eastern Zonal Council, numerous times over the past ten years. However, actions from the Government of India and the DVC have so far been limited to studies, investigations and half-hearted attempts to formulate projects,” she wrote.
She also referred to a team of delegation of Trinamool Congress MPs and Ministers raising the matter with the Union Minister of Jal Shakti.
“I flagged this issue during the NITI Aayog meeting. Unfortunately, no visible action has been taken on the ground,” she said, referring to reports which indicate that siltation has already reduced the combined live and flood water storage capacity of these two reservoirs by 30 per cent.
“I believe the situation has further worsened. It is also concerning that DVC appears to have shifted focus from its primary objective of flood control in the Damodar River, as mandated by law, to power generation, disregarding its social obligations. This shift has sacrificed the interests of the downstream of West Bengal,” she added.
Moreover, we have repeatedly raised the issue of Ghatal Master Plan with the Centre, including the submission of detailed technical papers, she said, alleging that the Centre took no “concrete steps”.
“l earnestly request that you give this matter serious consideration and direct the concerned ministries to address these issues as a top priority, including the sanction and release of substantial central funds to undertake extensive flood management works in the interest of the people, who suffer the most,” the Bengal CM said.
Banerjee said the state “is doing its best to save the lives and properties of people in the identified flood-prone areas”.
“Relief operations and shifting people to flood shelters are already in full swing. I have personally toured the flood-affected areas to take firsthand stock of the situation on the ground,” she added.
